To work out the angles and dimensions of the enclosure, foam boards were used to fabricate an in-place mock up.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...abinmockup.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0409.jpg


The primer coat has been applied. The cockpit deck is getting a spatter finish gel coat, so minimal fairing is needed.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0539.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0540.jpg

Using the foam mock-up as a guide, a mold was created from 3/4" melamine sheets braced with 2X4s. At one time I hoped to fabricate everything myself, but my experiences patching holes and making hatches gave me a great appreciation for how challenging a good glass job can be and better sense prevailed. My hat is off to all you guys that have that skill.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0533.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0535.jpg

The top was test fitted onto the boat, helping to refine the aft finish line and windows.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSCN0508.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/DSCN0507.jpg

That actually looks pretty kool man. nice work so far

nice design & work!

Great work. So now you have a mold for the house? I think you might have a couple people pm'ing you when you're done if it's the case. Btw, what's her name gonna be?

This is a great thread, please keep us up to date with more pictures as you progress.You are doing a beautiful job.I can't wait to see the finished product.I look at rebuilds like this,and at Stricks amazing work,and am awed by them.
I thought that I did a lot,but it pales in comrarison to the incredible scope of work and the quality others like you are doing. Keep up the good work.

BTW, any idea of how much the weight has changed from this addition?

Sweet!!!

Here are some more pictures of the finished top (rough cuts for the windows), which has been much more expensive than I anticipated, but I feel like I'm getting my money's worth from the guys at Carolina Yachts in Beaufort NC. Will, the owner, has great ideas and their work is top quality.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0623.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0625.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0626.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_0627.jpg

The top is permanently mounted now and the boat is "home" for final rigging, which I am doing myself. Everything should be finished in time to hang the engine next week. Splash time is getting close!

The engine is an Etec 250 showroom demo, and a deal that I could not refuse, but I had to get it from a dealer several hours away. The wooden pallet on which it was mounted was not secured well enough (my bad) and started to slide during a sharp turn, nearly giving me a heart attack as I briefly envisioned picking up the pieces of my unused and ruined engine.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...ginePickup.jpg

The boat is named "Handful", a play on my last name and a true statement about the boat.

I don't know how much the weight has changed, but hopefully not a significant amount. Judging from the wide variety of equipment/engine/fuel/bracket combinations seen and discussed in this forum, SeaCraft must be very tolerant of weight and its distribution. Most owners seem to be concerned about too much weight aft with current engines that are larger and heavier than when the boat was first constructed. I am more concerned about too much weight forward, and that's why I purposedly chose the single engine Hermco bracket rather than the twin bracket and its greater flotation. If the CG in my boat needs to be shifted, I have some flexibility in the placement of the batteries, oil tank, an auxilliary fuel tank, and a planned fresh water tank. Or I will be be making a very humble and humliating post as a lesson for others!

Very nice hardtop and I bet you're going to be happy with the Etec. Regarding the windshield, are those the finished openings or will they be widened? It seems like you might have some visibility issues if they are to remain as shown.

Regarding weight in the Sceptre/Tsumani OB's...my father's '82 was originally rigged with twin 200 Johnsons and in '90 or so the owner decided to go to a single 225 Evinrude. When my father bought the boat in '97 it seemed a bit bow heavy at rest, perhaps because of the 144 gal. fuel tank and lack of additional 400+lbs of OB on the transom. In '04 he replaced the engine with a 225 Yamaha on a manual jack plate and moved some heavier items such as anchor/chain/rode and tool kit to the aft bilge area. This definitely shifted the angle so that the self-bailing deck could do its job as intended. You probably want to speak with Entourage seeing as his boat is very close to yours in layout and power. He may be able to offer you some thought as to weight balance.

Looks great! I too am wondering about the size of the front windows. What is the top cored with? approximate weight?

strick